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Chapter Preview
Section 1: The Basis of Culture
Section 2: Language and Culture
Section 3: Norms and Values
Section 4: Beliefs and Material
Culture
Section 5: Cultural Diversity
and Similarity
Chapter Preview · Section 1
The Basis of Culture (pages 72–76)
Culture defines how people in a
society behave in relation to others
and to physical objects. Although most
behavior among animals is instinctual,
human behavior is learned. Even
reflexes and drives do not completely
determine how humans will behave,
because people are heavily influenced
by culture.
Chapter Preview · Section 2
Language and Culture (pages 77–80)
Humans can create and transmit
culture. The symbols of language play
a role in determining people’s views of
reality.
Chapter Preview · Section 3
Norms and Values (pages 81–91)
The essential components of culture
are norms, values, beliefs, and
material objects. Sanctions are used to
encourage conformity to norms.
Values, the broadest cultural ideas,
form the basis for norms.
Chapter Preview · Section 4
Beliefs and Material Culture (pages 92–94)
Besides norms and values, beliefs
and physical objects make up culture.
Ideal culture includes the guidelines
we claim to accept, while real culture
describes how we actually behave.
Chapter Preview · Section 5
Cultural Diversity and Similarity (pages 95–102)
Cultures change according to three
major processes. Cultures contain
groups within them called subcultures
and countercultures that differ in
important ways from the main culture.
People tend to make judgments
based on their own cultures. While
apparently very different on the
surface, all cultures have common
traits or elements that sociologists call
cultural universals.
Culture defines how people in a society behave
in relation to others and to physical objects.
Although most behavior among animals is
instinctual, human behavior is learned. Even
reflexes and drives do not completely
determine how humans will behave, because
people are heavily influenced by culture.
• culture
• society
• instincts
• reflex
• drive
• sociobiology
How much are you are influenced by
the culture that surrounds you?
A. Very influenced
B. Somewhat influenced
C. Not very influenced
D. Not sure
0%
A
A.
B.
C.
0%
D.
B
A
B
C
0%
D
C
0%
D
Culture and Society
• The culture you live in refers to the
knowledge, language, values, customs and
physical objects that are passed from
generation to generation among members of
a group.
• Material aspects of our culture include
skyscrapers, computers, cell phones and cars.
Culture and Society (cont.)
• Nonmaterial aspects include beliefs, rules,
customs, family systems and a capitalist
economy.
• Culture and society are interwoven.
• A society is a group of people who live in a
defined territory and participate in a
common culture.
Culture and Society (cont.)
• A society is a group of people who live in a
defined territory and participate in a
common culture.
• Culture is that society’s total way of life.
From the following list, what is the
example that best represents your
culture?
A. Literature
B. Music
C. Government
D. Values
0%
A
A.
B.
C.
0%
D.
B
A
B
C
0%
D
C
0%
D
Culture and Heredity
• Instincts are genetically inherited patterns
of behavior. Humans, unlike animals,
cannot rely on instinct alone for survival,
so we rely on our culture.
• However, culture is not the only influence
on our behavior.
Culture and Heredity (cont.)
• Other factors include:
– Heredity—genetically inherited traits
– Reflexes—simple, biologically inherited
automatic reactions to physical stimuli.
– Drives—impulses
• These expressions of such biological
factors can vary depending on the culture.
The desire to eat and drink is an
example of which biological factor?
A. Heredity
B. Reflex
C. Drive
D. Culture
0%
A
A.
B.
C.
0%
D.
B
A
B
C
0%
D
C
0%
D
Sociobiology
• Sociobiology is the study of the biological
basis of human behavior.
• Darwin’s theory of natural selection + modern
genetics = Sociobiology
• Sociologists believe that behaviors that best
help people and animals are biologically
based and transmitted in the genetic code.
Sociobiology (cont.)
• Some criticisms of sociobiology:
– Certain races could be labeled as
inferior or superior.
– There is too much variation in societies
for human behavior to be based on
biology alone.
Sociobiology (cont.)
• Middle ground:
– Some sociologists believe that genes
work with culture in a complex way to
shape and limit human nature and social
life.
The following are behaviors that help
us further develop as the human race
EXCEPT
A. Parental affection
B. Education
C. Shopping
D. Sexual reproduction
0%
A
A.
B.
C.
0%
D.
B
A
B
C
0%
D
C
0%
D
Humans can create and transmit culture. The
symbols of language play a role in determining
people’s views of reality.
• symbol
• hypothesis of linguistic relativity
Which symbol do you think best
represents the culture of the United
States?
A. Flag
B. Eagle
C. Apple pie
D. Statue of Liberty
0%
A
A.
B.
C.
0%
D.
B
A
B
C
0%
D
C
0%
D
Symbols, Language, and Culture
• Cultural transmission defines the
transmission and creation of culture—or
the idea that each generation must be
taught about their culture.
• Symbols are things that stand for or
represent something else. The most
important symbols are those that create
language.
Sign Language
Symbols, Language, and Culture (cont.)
• Language and culture are related because
language frees humans from the limits of
time and space.
• Language allows us to create culture.
Do you agree that language frees us
from the limits of time and space?
A. Agree
B. Disagree
C. Not sure
1.
2.
3.
0%
A
0%
B
A
B
C
0%
C
The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
• The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis or the
hypothesis of linguistic relativity—
Edward Sapir and Benjamin Whorf believe
that our perceptions of the world depend in
part on the particular language we have
learned.
• For example, when something is important
to a society, its language will have many
words to describe it.
The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis (cont.)
• We can learn other languages, or learn
more about our own, to expand our view of
the world.
Native American languages that are
spoken in the Arctic Circle most likely
include many words describing which
of the following?
A. Money
B. Snow
C. Oil
D. Trees
0%
A
A.
B.
C.
0%
D.
B
A
B
C
0%
D
C
0%
D
Two essential components of culture are
norms and values. There are several types of
norms—folkways, mores, and laws. Sanctions
are used to encourage conformity to norms.
Values, the broadest cultural ideas, form the
basis for norms.
• norms
• informal sanctions
• folkways
• values
• mores
• taboo
• law
• sanctions
• formal sanctions
In your opinion, which of the
following values most closely
identifies with American culture?
A. Belief in God
B. Achievement and success
C. Democracy
D. Equality
0%
A
A.
B.
0%
C.
BD.
A
B
0%
C
C
D
0%
D
Norms: The Rules We Live By
• Norms are rules defining appropriate and
inappropriate behavior. Norms are so
engrained in humans that they guide
behavior without awareness.
Cultural Etiquette
Which of the following is a norm that
affects behavior in the classroom?
A. Showing respect
B. Completing classwork
C. Sitting still
D. All of the above
0%
A
A.
B.
0%
C.
BD.
A
B
0%
C
C
D
0%
D
Folkways, Mores, and Laws
• There are three types of norms:
– Folkways—rules that cover customary
ways of thinking, feeling and behaving but
lack moral overtones.
– Mores—norms of great moral significance.
– Taboo—a norm so strong that its violation
demands punishment by the group.
Patterns of Tourism
Folkways, Mores, and Laws (cont.)
• Laws are norms that are formally defined
and enforced by officials.
Silly Laws Still on
the Books
Which of the following do you think
has the most influence on our laws?
A. Mores
B. Folkways
C. Taboos
0%
A
A. A
B. B
C.0%C
B
0%
C
Enforcing the Rules
• Sanctions are rewards and punishments
used to encourage conformity to norms,
either formally or informally.
• Formal sanctions are sanctions that may
be applied, for positive or negative
reasons, only by officially designated
persons, such as judges and teachers.
Enforcing the Rules (cont.)
• Informal sanctions can be applied by
most members of a group, also for positive
or negative reasons.
Is earning the Congressional Medal of
Honor a formal or informal sanction?
A. Informal
B. Formal
C. Not sure
0%
A
A. A
B. B
C.0%C
B
0%
C
Values—The Basis for Norms
• Values are broad ideas about what most
people in a society consider to be
desirable.
• Different groups in the same society can
have different norms based on the same
value.
Values—The Basis for Norms (cont.)
• Values have a tremendous influence on
human social behavior because they form
the basis for norms.
The Norm Kite
Which list follows the “Norm Kite”
diagram (from top to bottom)?
A. Norms—Values—Folkways,
Mores, Laws—Sanctions
B. Sanctions—Norms—Folkways,
Mores, Laws—Values
0%
D
C
B
D. Values—Sanctions—Folkways,
Mores, Laws—Norms
A. A
B. B
0%C.0%C 0%
D. D
A
C. Sanctions—Folkways, Mores,
Laws—Values
Basic Values in the United States
• According to sociologist Robin Williams
(1970), some of the important values that
guide the values of most people in the United
States are as follows:
– Achievement and success
– Activity and work
– Efficiency and practicality
– Equality
– Democracy
– Group superiority
Basic Values in the United States (cont.)
• Although many of these values have
remained the same over the years, some
have changed.
Which of Williams’s values do you feel is
the least influential in American society?
A. Achievement and success
B. Activity and work
C. Efficiency and practicality
0%
D
A
B
C0%
D
C
A
0%
A.
B.
C.
0%
D.
B
D. Equality
Besides norms and values, beliefs and physical
objects make up culture. Ideal culture includes
the guidelines we claim to accept, while real
culture describes how we actually behave.
• nonmaterial culture
• beliefs
• material culture
• ideal culture
• real culture
Which do you think is a more
accurate representation of our
culture?
A. Nonmaterial culture
which includes beliefs,
ideas, and knowledge
B. Material culture
which includes tangible
objects
C. None of the above
0%
A
A. A
B. B
0%
C. C
B
0%
C
Beliefs and Physical Objects
• The nonmaterial culture involves beliefs,
ideas, and knowledge.
• The material culture is about how we
relate to physical objects. It consists of the
concrete, tangible objects within a culture.
Beliefs and Physical Objects (cont.)
• Beliefs are ideas about the nature of reality.
• People base their behavior on what they
believe, even if their belief might not be true.
• The uses and meanings of physical objects
can vary among societies depending on the
beliefs, norms and values people hold with
regard to the object.
All of the following are representative
of material culture EXCEPT
A. Books
B. Art
C. Religion
D. Cars
0%
A
A. A
B. B
0%
C. C
B
0%
C
Ideal and Real Culture
• A gap exists between cultural guidelines and
actual behavior, captured by the following two
concepts:
– Ideal culture refers to cultural guidelines
publicly embraced by members of a society.
– Real culture refers to actual behavior
patterns, which often conflict with these
guidelines.
Do you believe that a gap exists
between ideal and real culture?
A. Yes
B. No
C. Not sure
0%
A
A. A
B. B
0%
C. C
B
0%
C
Cultures change according to three major
processes. Cultures contain groups within them
called subcultures and countercultures that
differ in important ways from the main culture.
People tend to make judgments based on the
values of their own cultures. While apparently
very different on the surface, all cultures have
common traits or elements that sociologists call
cultural universals.
• social categories
• subculture
• counterculture
• ethnocentrism
• cultural universals
• cultural particulars
Which trait do you think we have in
common with other cultures?
A. Religion
B. Commerce
C. Government
0%
A
A. A
B. B
0%
C. C
B
0%
C
Cultural Change
• Culture changes for three reasons:
– Discovery—the process of finding
something that already exists.
– Invention—the creation of something
new.
– Diffusion—the borrowing of aspects of
culture from other cultures.
Finding hamburgers on a menu in
Japan is an example of
A. Discovery
B. Invention
C. Diffusion
D. Culture
0%
A
A. A
B. B
0%
C. C
B
0%
C
Cultural Diversity
• Cultural diversity exists in all societies.
• Social categories are groups that share a
social characteristic such as age, gender,
or religion.
• Subculture is part of the dominant culture
but differs from it in some important
respects.
Cultural Diversity (cont.)
• Counterculture is a subculture deliberately
and consciously opposed to certain beliefs or
attitudes of the dominant culture.
In your opinion, is cultural diversity
beneficial to society or does it harm
society?
A. Beneficial to society
B. Harms society
C. Not sure of its effects
0%
A
A. A
B. B
0%
C. C
B
0%
C
Ethnocentrism
• Ethnocentrism is the practice of judging
others in terms of one’s own cultural
standards.
• Advantages:
– People feel good about themselves and
others.
– Stability is promoted.
Ethnocentrism (cont.)
• Disadvantage:
– Inflexibility
In your opinion, does ethnocentrism
help or hurt society?
A. Helps society
B. Hurts society
C. Neither
D. Not sure
0%
A
A.
B.
0%
C.
D.
B
A
B
0%
C
D
C
0%
D
Cultural Universals
• Cultural universals are traits that exist in
all cultures, such as sports, cooking, and
education.
• Cultural particulars are the ways that each
culture expresses the universals.
Immigration to the
United States
Cultural Universals (cont.)
• Cultural universals exist for three main
reasons:
– The biological similarity shared by all
human beings.
– The physical environment affecting all
human beings.
– Many countries face the same social
problems.
Cultural Universals
Which of the following is NOT a
category that cultural universals fall
under?
A. Economy
B. Beliefs
C. Language
D. Democracy
0%
A
A.
B.
0%
C.
D.
B
A
B
0%
C
D
C
0%
D
Sign Language: How to Speak with Your Hands
The Norm Kite
Cultural Universals
Immigration to the United States
Source: Bureau of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services: 2004 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics.
Patterns of Tourism
Adapted from the Student Atlas: DK Publishing, Inc.
Sociology Chapter
Transparencies
Top Ten Languages by Population
Top Languages by Distribution
New Words in English
culture
knowledge, values, customs, and physical
objects that are shared by members of a
society
society
a specific territory inhabited by people who
share a common culture
instincts
innate (unlearned) patterns of behavior
reflex
automatic reaction to physical stimulus
drive
impulse to reduce discomfort
sociobiology
the study of the biological basis of human
behavior
symbol
a thing that stands for or represents
something else
hypothesis of linguistic relativity
theory stating that our idea of realty
depends largely upon language
norms
rules defining appropriate and
inappropriate behavior
folkways
norms that lack moral significance
mores
norms that have moral dimensions and that
should be followed by members of the society
taboo
a rule of behavior, the violation of which
calls for strong punishment
law
a norm that is formally defined and
enforced by officials
sanctions
rewards and punishments used to
encourage people to follow norms
formal sanctions
sanctions imposed be persons given
special authority
informal sanctions
rewards or punishments that can be
applied by most members of a group
values
broad ideas about what is good or
desirable shared by people in a society
nonmaterial culture
ideas, knowledge, and beliefs that
influence people’s behavior
beliefs
ideas about the nature of reality
material culture
the concrete, tangible objects of a culture
ideal culture
cultural guidelines that group members
claim to accept
real culture
actual behavior patterns of members of a
group
social categories
groupings of persons who share a social
characteristic
subculture
a group that is part of the dominant culture
but that differs from it in some important
respects
counterculture
a subculture deliberately and consciously
opposed to certain central beliefs or
attitudes of the dominant culture
ethnocentrism
judging others in terms of one’s own
cultural standards
cultural universals
general cultural traits that exist in all
cultures
cultural particulars
the ways in which a culture expresses
universal traits
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